1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for estimating an index relating to obesity (hereinafter, referred to as an “obesity index”).
2. Related Art
Technologies for calculating an obesity index from an abdomen width of a subject have been conventionally proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for calculating an obesity index such as a visceral fat area using an equation including an abdomen width of a subject as a variable. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for calculating an abdominal circumference of a subject using an equation including an abdomen width as a variable.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2009-022482
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2008-049114
According to the technologies of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the obesity index can be determined with high accuracy for a subject with a standard body type. However, a tendency for the accuracy in determining the obesity index to decrease as the degree of obesity of a subject increases has been confirmed in a study by the present inventors. In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to also be able to determine an obesity index with high accuracy for a subject who is very obese.